Watercolor fun + painting bottles at work + an armful of bracelets + my photobooth wall at my desk + a trip to Virginia + breakfast with my niece + a walk through Staunton, VA + kicking a ball throught the park+ a house covered in fake flowers + ice cream sundaes + Easter chocolate massacre.
A bunch of random images from this year's Art Basel in Miami. It's difficult to categorize these images into one post but also impossible not to share.
the breathtaking first floor of the Delacruz Collection
The always amazing Swoon with a wheatpasted piece that made me, um, swoon.From the Underbelly Project show.
Concrete bunny by Ross Bonafanti at Aqua.
Asmall corner of Greg Haberny's installation at the Like the Spice gallery at Aqua. Wonder if anyone partook?
Achair that manages to be both modern and very traditional at Design Miami. From Priveekollektie Gallery.
A fashionable couple at Fountain Art Fair.
Love the kicks. At Fountain Art Fair.
Fashionistas. At Fountain Art Fair.
Some seriously good street art.
Some seriously funny street art.
And the obligatory, check-out-my-feet vacation photo. Thanks to the hammocks at Scope!
I've talked about my intense wanderlust instinct before. It's definitely a bit of a grass-is-always-greener syndrome- I spend three days in a cute town, city or hamlet and I instantly want to move there. But I swear, I could actually live in Providence for reals. When Squam friends Elizabeth and Christine invited me to spend a few days in their adobable city, I jumped at the chance.
Providence rolled out the perfect fall weekend for me with crisp sunny days walking through leaf strewn sidewalks and lazy brunches nibbling on pastries and drinking tea. Elizabeth and Christine were perfect hosts- that just right combination of lots to do and see but no hurry to do it in.
On Friday I hopped the train (I love train rides don't you?) from NYC and got into Providence very late but luckily Christine's house has a separate entrance so I snuck in to find a gigantic king size bed piled with pillows just for me and note telling me that there were homemade muffins and butternut squash soup in the fridge. What is this magical place? My personal heaven?
Saturday we walked all over the city, stopping for a delicious, local and somehow still inexpensive lunch at the art collective space AS220. My favorite part of the day (and possibly the month) was a visit to the Edna Lawrence Nature Lab, part of RISD but open to the public. Artists of all kinds can peruse the thousands of specimens, rocks, shells, feathers and animals there and then sketch, sculpt and paint them at the giant tables there. I think I could go there every day. They also had a beautiful exhibit about the geometry of plant life and nature. Just the kind of nerdiness that I go for.
We had dinner at La Laiterie, another local type retaurant. I had steak with mushroom gnocci and sunchoke fondant. It made my head explode with happiness.
Sunday started off with the aforementioned lazy brunch at Elizabeth's beautiful light filled house (and her vey own mini- Nature Lab). Seriously Providence, why are you hogging all the sun? I like my house fine but let's be real, it is a dark South Philly cave. After that we took another walk, did some shopping, followed by dinner at Christine's (why didn't I take pics of here house too? Dang!) and dessert at Pastiche.
And Sunday I took a walk with Elizabeth then headed home. Even the adorably cute train station had good food: I got myself a grilled cheese on sourdough bread from the local bakery with avocado and bacon. Take that Penn Station.
Good eats and pretty scenery aside, the best part of the trip was the talking. You know when you are with people that just get you, regardless of how short or long they've known you and the conversation is just effortless? I came home inspired and happy, ready to start lots of new projects and dream lots of big things.
I'm spending the rest of this week up in New Hampshire at Squam Arts Workshop so I'm turning the phone and computer off for a few days. Just got here and I immediately had to dip my feet in!
Who wants to take a road trip to the American Restaurant in Kansas City? We can wear our Mad Men best, have some champagne, caviar and a flambé (restaurants like this always have a flambé, am I right?). In the late 1960s, the area was in a total state of decay when the founder of Hallmark cards built the Crown Center, it's "crown jewel" being the American restaurant designed by Warren Platner.
I am over the moon for the sparkly ceiling and those plush pink banquettes!
photo via b for bonnie
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Paper Made!
Publication Date: May 8, 2012 by Workman Publishing Company
Also available at
Barnes and Noble
And IndieBound
Applique Your Way
Published 2009 by Chronicle Books
Creative Embellishing
Published 2011 by Collins and Brown
